Toca Cars

With its cardboard cutout objects, bright colors, and adorable drivers and cars, TOCA CARS is a lot of fun to look at and mostly fun to play, although maneuvering around the dog and robot "mechanical playmates" can be frustrating. Also, the use of a bomb to clear the screen of buildings seems curiously out of step with the rest of the app, which is otherwise clearly suitable for youngest app users. A more kid-friendly choice for screen-clearing could be an eraser or even play scissors to match the cardboard theme. That said, it's really fun for kids to choose what to include on and along their car's roads, then jump the ramps, knock over objects, and drive almost anywhere they want on this non-racing driving app. They can knock over anything in their path in this no-rules playland (which is somewhat misleading, given that most cars can't knock down trees in one bump, but this is make-believe play).

Unfortunately, the dog and robot that chase, bump, and knock over the player's car are downright maddening at times and don't seem to jibe with the fun-loving road trip. If kids aren't bothered by the dog-and-robot chasing, Toca Cars can be a fun way to construct and drive around in a bright, merry world of their own making.